Wind Energy Planning

Government and local councillors should start consenting wind energy projects if a renewable energy manufacturing industry is to be self sustaining in the UK.

A report by Bain & Company for the British Wind Energy Association published today predicts that there will be 36,000 green collar jobs created by 2020. This is 4 times less than the figure published by the government in its renewable energy strategy published in June, despite the UK requirement to meet 35-40% of our electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050.

The UK currently has only 2.2 gigawatts installed renewable energy capacity against a potential for 27 gigawatts. The UK currently buys in wind turbine components (and with it construction expertise) from countries with more established wind industries such as Germany and Denmark. To significantly increase employment from the current 5000 employees in the wind industry to well beyond the Bain predicted 36,000 employees, we would need to start manufacturing wind turbine components in the UK.

It seems so fated that the remote English, Welsh and Scottish locations where the biggest wind energy opportunities exist – are also the locations where economies are struggling yet there is space and labour which would fit hand in glove with new manufacturing facilities.

Only this year we saw the successful Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas close its factory in Cambeltown which briefly employed up to 92 people. The company set up the factory after being granted a £12m public subsidy and cited reasons including “obsolete technology” for closing.

The wind energy industry is a fast moving one where new technologies develop rapidly. The market is demanding- in fact currently so demanding that if you want a commercial scale wind turbine you are likely to have to wait until after 2011 to be able to buy one and have it delivered to your doorstep. The truth is that the UK market is tiny compared with the US and European markets. The US is developing huge wind energy projects and has recently taken over Germany as the country with the most wind energy capacity.

Politicians need to take a step change, or rather a giant leap if they are serious about bringing renewable manufacturing jobs to the UK. That means changing the way planning decisions are made so that a constant stream of wind farms are being granted consent rather than the occasional dripping tap result we are seeing at the moment. In order to do this Ed Balls needs to not only sort out his own internal department but also the local planning authorities who think that it is ok to let wind energy projects or onshore substations for offshore wind farms get stuck in the planning system for years only to later be refused because local councillors have been lobbied by the vocal few – it is much easier to say no.